Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of communism across Central and Eastern Europe, a new era dawned that promised economic growth, improved quality of life and individual freedom. Antiquated methods of teaching, rooted in the notion that only one truth exists (that of the State), coupled with a lack of dialogue and slow social and economic progress, bred discontent among a generation of young people that had anticipated so much more.

In 1994, in an effort to stem this tide of apathy and push for a more rapid transition to democracy, The Open Society Institute (OSI) - now The Open Society Foundations (OSF) - launched its first network debate programme. Although debate was an entirely new phenomenon to these countries, it provided an invaluable means for students to express opinions, to meet and discuss important issues, and in short, to become informed citizens.

In 1999, International Debate Education Association (IDEA) was created by OSI to coordinate these debate programmes and act as an independent membership organization of national debate clubs, associations, programmes and individuals with one common goal: to promote mutual understanding and democracy globally by supporting discussion and active citizenship locally. In 2001, IDEA US was registered to further expand IDEA's scope of activities.

For over a decade, IDEA has continued to bring debate, active citizenship training, curriculum development and international student exchanges and forums to young people across the world, with a particular focus on countries with developing democracies. In 2011, OSI invested in improving the provision of those skills and experiences to the virtual world of the Internet, setting up the UK office IDEA UK which was registered in London to expand IDEA’s work into the virtual world, its main focus being the redesign and rebuilding of our website idebate.org, taking full advantage of IDEA’s international debate expertise: an enhanced Debatabase featuring a content-rich online community of debaters from around the world and an extensive library of open-source materials being some of the examples of how IDEA UK added to the virtual debating world where we are amongst the leaders.

Today IDEA, through its various incarnations across the world, organizes debating activity in over XX languages in more than XX countries; and continues to grow, striving constantly to improve the quality and quantity of its services – working locally, acting globally.

'Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate’Hubert H Humphrey

From its very beginnings, debate has been inextricably intertwined with the concept of open society. In ancient Athens, citizens gathered in forums to discuss and debate the most pressing issues of the day before casting their votes. Such debates were an integral part of the new form of government Athens was to bequeath to the world: democracy.

Unlike totalitarian and other undemocratic regimes, where a limited set of ideas are imposed as absolute truths, democratic societies depend upon the free and open exchange of ideas. Indeed, it may be said that true democracy cannot exist without debate. For democracy to function, the values that debate encourages - reason, tolerance, the careful weighing of evidence, etc. - must be cherished and nurtured. But even within societies that restrict open discussion, debate can teach young people that no one person or government possesses the ultimate truth.

Today, from London to Kyrgyzstan, from The Netherlands and Belgium to South East Europe and the Middle East & North Africa, IDEA debates are gaining ground as forums for promoting democratic values. Just as Socrates spurred his listeners to examine their assumptions 2,500 years ago, IDEA is today encouraging students around the world to question, listen to each other and to explore even the most volatile subjects openly and in the spirit of tolerance and cooperation.

The 5th IDEA International Aitmatov Debate Academy

We want to ensure the quality of our debate programmes. We can by providing extensive training in how to debate for many different groups. We have modules that include training in debate, interactive teaching methodologies, public communications, advocacy and conflict resolution, new media and debate.

Most of our training sessions are designed for groups of 25 or fewer. Ideal candidates include secondary school and university teachers, students, youth workers and representatives of non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations.

We encourage a learning environment that is built on participation, where individuals feel safe to explore ideas and view topics from a variety of perspectives. Participant-centered teaching methodologies emphasising personal exploration, role-play and group exercises are employed to maximize trainees’ involvement in the learning process; it leads to more meaningful engagement.

Our methodology is based on Action Learning – a bottom up approach that draws on the knowledge in the room. It is designed for engaging young people who are new to debate from as young as 14 and up to 30 years old and allows them to take ownership of their learning process. Trainees learn how to extract the knowledge in the room and how to channel it. This creates a healthy group dynamic and empowers youth to address the issues they are interested in and understand.

‘We train trainers to use what young people know (the knowledge in the room) and then help them improve in how to say it’ – IDEA trainer.

IDEA’s trainers come from, and train, different societal groups: debate societies, youth centres, educational organisations, schools or universities. They can be students, youth and welfare workers or teachers, and are IDEA’s link to young people because they know and trust them.

Participants on IDEA training holding the IDEA logo

‘When working with disadvantaged youth, the element of trust is very important. Before they are ready to talk about the issues they have, they must first feel confident and safe in their environment and be able to reflect on why they have the problem.’ – IDEA trainer.

IDEA trainers pay special attention to ensuring that training is adapted specifically to meet the linguistic, educational and cultural needs of the participants. Whenever possible, IDEA strives to deliver the training in the local language of the trainees, using materials and modules most relevant to the participants. There is no one size fits all. The programme includes exercises and activities that trainers can adapt and tailor to meet the needs of the group. From a 1-day training workshop up to trainings over several days, the debate activities and exercises are all easily adaptable to their own trainees’ level of knowledge and confidence. In each case, trainers get ideas and learn new debate skills that they can use based on their own personal experiences.

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As a charity, we're supported entirely by donations. Through our strong partnerships and sponsorships, we’re able to reach out to young people living in marginalized communities and bring them valuable life-learning skills in critical thinking, active listening and argumentation in order to participate more actively in society and advocacy and make change happen.

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We want to create more educational resources, run more Training of Trainers events and organize more international debate events.

We want more young people to develop self-confidence and learn to speak up and express themselves.

We want to enhance intercultural exchange and build bridges to strengthen communities and promote mutual understanding.

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About Us

The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) is a global network of organizations that value debate as a way to give young people a voice, with entities in the Netherlands, USA, UK, Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan and Tunisia.